Automatic latch-stand.



No. 851,294. PATENTED APR. 23, 1907. M. W. LONG.

AUTOMATIC LATCH STAND.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG.27.1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES No. 851,294. PATENTED APR. 23, 1907. M. W. LONG.

AUTOMATIC LATCH STAND.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 27. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MALCOLM IN. LONG, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PENNSYLVANIA STEEL COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC LATCH-STAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed August 27, 1906. Serial No. 332,278.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, MALooLM W. Lone, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Harrisburg, Dauphin county, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Latch- Stands, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which-- Figure 1 is a plan view of a well known type of switch stand, showing my automatic latch-stand in use in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the latchstand. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the latch-stand and switch-stand lever. Fig

A is a vertical section through the latch-stand as on the line :L'0c, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspec tive of the adjustable springcarrying shaft.

The object of this invention is to provide a latch-stand for use in connection with automatic switch stands, which latch-stand will be automatic in that when the switch-stand lever is pressed downwardly into place in the latch-stand the latch thereof will automatically look over said lever-bar; and which latch, although it holds the lever bar, and consequently the point-rails of the switch, in position, under ordinary strains, will, if a train run trailing through the switch, and thereby exerting an extraordinary lifting action upon the switch-stand lever-arm, cause said lever-arm to be elevated automatically lifting the latch together with means for exerting a spring tension upon said latch, to hold the same in looking position, and means for adjusting the tension of said spring,

To these ends the invention consists in the combinations hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, 1, is a switch-stand, of well known type, having a switch bar, 2, adapted to be connected to the usual point-rails of a switch (not shown). Said switch stand is secured in place to adjacent ties, 3, and its weighted operating lever, 4, extends parallel with the track-way, and laterally across said ties respectively. Secured to said ties in line with the lever-bar, 1, are the latch-stands, 5, embodying my invention. Said latch-stand comprises a frame or support, 6, having extending upwardly therefrom two posts, 7 and 8, the distance between whose opposite faces is slightly greater than the thickness of the lever bar, 1, so that the latter may seat itself there between in the usual manner, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3.

The outer one of the posts, 7, is provided with a vertical through slot, 9, within which is a latch-plate, 10, pivotally mounted on a horizontal shaft, 11, one end of which extends through a hole, 12, in one side of the post, 7, and is clamped thereto by a nut, 13, secured on the outer end of said shaft, 11, as seen in Fig. 4. The other end of said shaft, 11, extends through a cylindrical chamber, 1 1, on the opposite side of the post, 7, and has, exterior to said chamber, a flange, 15, whose periphery is provided with slots, 16 any one of which is adapted to engage a in, or stud, 17, extending from the outer edge of said chamber wall, for a purpose hereinafter 7o appearing. Said flange, 15, is provided with an oilset portion, 18, which fits into the outer end of the said chamber, 14, its periphery engaging the inner wall of said chamber. Within the chamber, 1 1, and encircling said shaft, 11, is a coiled spring, 19, one end of which engages an inwardly extending stud, 20, of the flange, 15, and the other end of which spring engages a hole, 21, in the latchplate, 10, above the pivot thereof. The said latchlate, 10, is provided with a latch lug, 22, wfiose upper face is beveled, as seen in Fig. 3, and which latch-lug normally overlies the recess between the posts, 7 and 8, being retained in said position by the action of the spring, 19. The lower portion of the rear of said latch-plate, 10, is provided with a projecting arm, 23, so that when desired, downward pressure of said arm will withdraw said latch-lug from its normal position overlying said recess. The upper portion of the rear of said latch-plate, 10, is provided with a vertical arm, 2 1, whose inner face normally stops against the outer edge of said post, 7, and which vertical arm is provided with a slot, 9 5 25, through which extends a horizontal limb, 26, of the post, 7, which limb is provided, extcrior to said vertical arm, 24, with a hole, 27, through which a pad-lock may be passed when it is desired to lock the switch-stand.

The manner of use of my latch-stand is as follows z llhe parts being in the position of Figs. 1, 2, and 3 that is, with the latch-lug, 22, overlying the lever bar, and the latchstand not locked; if it is desired to rotate the 105,

1 lever bar from one horizontal position to the other, thereby throwing the switch, the operator would ordinarily place his foot upon the horizontal arm, 23, of the latch-plate, 10, and pressing the same downwardly would rotate the latch-stand on its pivot shaft, 11, against the stress of the spring, 19, and so withdraw the latch lug from above the lever arm, 4. Thereupon, whilst holding the parts in this position, the operator grasps thelever bar, 4, and rotates the same to the opposite horizontal position, thereby throwing the switch, and as the lever bar descends to its position in the recess of the other similar latch-stand, its lower edge will engage the beveled upper surface of the latch-lug, 22, thereby pressing the latch-plate, 10, out-- wardly on-its pivot against the stress of the spring, 19, until the lever bar, 4, has reached its seat beneath said latch-lug; whereupon the stress of said spring returns the latch-lug to the position overlying the said lever bar. Should the switch be closed, and a train come trailing through the same, the automatic operation of the switch-stand, by said passing train, will cause the said lever bar to be upwardly rotated through the well known con nections between said switch point and said lever bar, and because of the relative location of the pivot point of said latch-plate and that of the latch-lug, 22,'such upward movement of the lever bar, 4, engaging the under edge of the latch-lug, and will cause the latchplate to be automatically rotated outwardly upon its pivot against the stress of the spring, 19; thereby freeing the lever-bar, 4, from engagement with said latch-lug, and permitting it to be automatically thrown over to the opposite horizontal position.

As it is highly desirable in automatic latchstands of this type, that the stress of the latch-plate controlling spring shall be adjustable, so that the amount of pressure exerted by the lever-bar, 4, upon the latch-lug, in its automatic action, may be increased or diminished, I am enabled to make such. adjustments of tension in the following manner: The parts being in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and it being desired to increase the tension of the spring, 19, the nut, 13, on the end. of the shaft, 11, would be unscrewed sufficiently to permit said shaft to be withdrawn longitudinally through the chamber,

' 14, a sufficient distance to allow the slot, 16,

to be disengaged from the pin, 17, which, by its engagement with said slot, had locked the flange, 15, and consequently the said shaft, 11, against rotation. The slot, 16, having been disengaged from said pin, the shaft, 11 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, until the required tension of the spring 19 is arrived at; whereupon the flange, 15, and shaft, 11, are pushed inwardly to cause another of the slots, 16, to engage said pin, thereby again'loclring said shaft in its position against rotation the nut, 13, being now screwed down against the outer surface of the post, 7. As a convenient means for turning the shaft, 11, in adjusting the tension of the spring, 19, I provide a head, 28, exterior to said flange, and provided with holes, 29, into which a suitable bar may be inserted. It will be observed that by this meansof adjusting the spring, -19,'I can cause the same to exert any desired amount of pressure upon the latch-plate, 10, and consequently regulate the amount of power necessary to be eX- erted by the lever-bar, in automatically opening the said latch-stand; the tension of the spring being ordinarily sufficient to hold the switch-points firmly against the stockrails of the switch, yet permitting the automatic action of the switch-stand and latchstand when. a train passes trailing through the closed switch.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In an automatic latch-stand, a base provided with a recess to receive a switch stand lever-bar, a latch-plate, pivoted to said base, and provided with a latch-lug overlying said recess; a spring acting upon said latchplate to retain the same in said position, together with means for adjusting the tension of said spring, substantially as set forth.

2. In an automatic latch-stand, a base provided with a recess to receive a switch-stand lever bar, a latch-plate provided with a latch-lug overlying said recess, a horizontal shaft secured to said base, and upon which said latch-plate is pivotally mounted; a spring inserted in said shaft, one end of which is secured'to said latch-plate, and the other end to said shaft; together with means for rotatively adjusting said shaft, thereby adjusting the tension of said. spring, and means for locking said shaft in various positions of adjustment, substantially as set forth.

3. In an automatic latch-stand, a base provided with a recess to receive a switchstand lever-bar, a latch-plate provided with a latch-lug overlying said recess, a horizontal shaft upon which said latch-plate is pivotally mounted, said shaft being mounted in said base; a circular flange on one end of said shaft, having the slots in its periphery, the pin projecting from said base, and adapted to engage any one of said slots; a stud extending inwardly from said flange, into a recess in said base, through which said shaft passes,

together with a spring encircling said shaft, one end of which iengages said latch-plate and the other end engages said stud, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

MALCOLM IN. LONG. \Vitnesses:

W. WEAVER, WM. R. MILLER. 

